0411 Verse 536

Original

साकारे ननु विज्ञाने वैचित्र्यं चेतसो भवेत् ।
नाकारानङ्कितत्वेऽस्ति प्रत्यासत्तिनिबन्धनम् ॥ ५३६ ॥

sākāre nanu vijñāne vaicitryaṃ cetaso bhavet |
nākārānaṅkitatve’sti pratyāsattinibandhanam || 536 ||

“If cognition has a form, then consciousness would be of variegated form. if, on the other hand, it is not marked by any form, there can be no basis in the form of proximity (for specifying the cognition).”—(536)

Kamalaśīla

The Opponent raises an objection against both (Cognition having a form as also being formless):—[see verse 536 above]

If the Cognition has a form, then in the Cognition of such things as the sheet of variegated Colour, this variegated Colour would be present in the Consciousness (Cognition) also; while it is not possible for a single Cognition to have various Colours.

If on the other hand, the Cognition is formless, there could be no such differentiation as that ‘this is the Cognition of the Blue Colour, not of the Yellow Colour’; as in all cases, the mere Cognition itself would be of the nature of Consciousness, and hence there being no distinction, there would be no basis for the said differentiation (in the Cognition).—(536)

The following Text supplies the answer to this criticism:—[see verse 537 next]